Neither El Toro's Alec Shoffeitt (3) or Santa Margarita's River Cracraft (8) can make a play on this 2nd. quarter Santa Margaritas pass at Trabuco Hills High School Friday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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El Toro's defensive lineman Jeffrey Nelson (22) flies over Santa Margarita's Ryan Wolpin (5) after tackling him for a short gain at Trabuco Hills High School Friday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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El Toro's wide receiver Cody White (88) comes down in the end zone with El Toro's first touchdown of the game while being defended by Santa Margarita's RJ Mazolewski (25) at Trabuco Hills High School Friday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Santa Margarita's Alex Ury (31) and everyone else watches as his 2nd. quarter field goal goes through the uprights at Trabuco Hills High School Friday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Santa Margarita's head coach Harry Welch, second from left elected to go for the touchdown instead of the field goal from the one yard line on fourth down and they didn't make it at Trabuco Hills High School Friday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

El Toro's quarterback Conner Manning (17) seems to know that his fourth quarter fumble ended the season for El Toro at Trabuco Hills High School Friday night.Santa Margarita beat El Toro 38-13 to advance. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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El Toro's quarterback Conner Manning (17) sets to throw his second touchdown of the game against Santa Margarita in the third quarter at Trabuco Hills High School Friday night.Santa Margarita beat El Toro 38-13 to advance. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Santa Margarita's special teams recover a dropped punt in the second quarter at Trabuco Hills High School Friday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

MISSION VIEJO – Santa Margarita played Friday night like a football team well-versed in the CIF-SS Pac-5 Division playoffs.

The defending Pac-5 champion scored on all four of its second-half possessions to sprint past El Toro and quarterback Conner Manning, 38-13, in a first round game at Trabuco Hills.

Running back Ryan Wolpin rushed for 162 of his 218 yards in the second half to help push the Eagles (9-2) into the second round against a familiar foe: St. Bonaventure of Ventura.

Santa Margarita defeated top-seeded St. Bonaventura, 35-27, in late September. It was the final game for Eagles quarterback Johnny Stanton, who was later diagnosed with a knee injury.

Wolpin wasn't the only veteran who sparkled in the second half for Santa Margarita, which led, 10-7, at halftime.

Wide receiver River Cracraft caught a 9-yard TD reception from rising sophomore quarterback Kyle Sweet in the third quarter.

The senior also had a 54-yard reception earlier in the third on a key third-and-9 that moved the Eagles to the El Toro 14. On the next play, Sweet found Alec McNiff for a touchdown pass and a 17-7 lead.

Safety RJ Mazolewski helped pace Santa Margarita's defense with an interception at his 5 and a 47-yard return in the middle of the third. The play led to Cracraft's score.

Defensive end Nick Begg added two sacks against El Toro (9-2).

Manning bounced back from his tough game against Mission Viejo to complete 29 of 43 passes for 322 yards and two scores. The senior was hurt by five dropped passes but finished his stellar career with 9,449 yards, just shy of Matt Barkley's county-record 9,471 for Mater Dei.

El Toro played without standout running back Jacob Furnari, who dislocated an elbow in the regular-season finale at Mission Viejo.

Santa Margarita led, 10-7, at halftime but the momentum belonged to El Toro thanks to a late defensive stand from its 2, followed by a 98-yard scoring drive.

Santa Margarita led 10-0 when it attempted a trick play on fourth-and-goal from the El Toro 2 coming out of a timeout with 2:49 left in the half. Cracraft was open but the pass from the running back fell short with 2:44 left.

Manning then directed El Toro on a quick 98-yard scoring drive, which he capped with a 29-yard TD pass to Cody White with 46 seconds left. Manning connected with White four times on the drive for 87 yards. The extra-point by Roger Howard cut Santa Margarita's lead to 10-7.

Santa Margarita opened the game with a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive that chewed up 5:36. Wolpin capped the drive with 1-yard TD run. The Eagles almost drove for a second Wolpin TD run early in the second but a holding penalty negated a 13-yard TD run. Santa Margarita didn't come away empty as Alex Ury kicked a 39-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 10:24 left in second half.

The Eagles defense and special teams then heated up. Begg sacked Manning at the Santa Margarita 40 on a fourth-down attempt with 7:17 left in the second. Santa Margarita's Grant Hilton later recovered a punt that bounced off an El Toro player at the Chargers 16. But the Chargers defense held at the 2, setting the stage for the Manning-led TD drive.

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